Shoulder mobility for cricketers: Why it matters and how to improve it

Your shoulders might be the silent limiter in your cricket performance. Whether you’re a bowler struggling to get through your action cleanly or a batter trying to add power to your shots, poor shoulder mobility could be holding you back. In this article, we’ll explore why shoulder mobility is so important, how it affects your game, and the best exercises to improve it.

Why do cricketers struggle with shoulder mobility?

There are two main culprits:

1. Modern posture

Most of us spend a lot of time sitting, hunched over laptops, phones, or even during daily tasks like cooking. This posture leads to rounded shoulders and tight chest muscles, reducing our ability to move the arms freely overhead.

2. Imbalanced strength training

Many athletes focus too heavily on pushing exercises—like bench press or shoulder press—because they build visible sexy muscles. But neglecting pulling exercises means the back side of the body becomes weak, the shoulders roll forward, and mobility suffers.

In an ideal world, you should aim for a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises.

This is especially important for bowlers & fielders.

How poor shoulder mobility affects your cricket

Your shoulders play a central role in almost everything you do on the field:

Bowling

• If you can’t get your arm fully overhead, you’ll have to compensate by leaning over.
• This leads to excessive lateral flexion and lumbar spine extension, both of which increase your risk of lower back and shoulder injuries.

Batting

• Tight shoulders can restrict the range of motion during your swing.
• This limits your ability to generate power and makes you more reliant on your arms, rather than your whole body.

Mobility is about more than just comfort—it directly influences performance and injury risk.

3 shoulder mobility exercises every cricketer should do

These exercises target common restrictions in the shoulder joint and surrounding areas. They’re easy to implement and can make a big difference if done consistently.

1. Child’s pose (with side stretch)

A classic mobility exercise that opens up the lats, back, and shoulders.

• Sit back on your heels and reach your arms forward.
• Take a deep breath out and reach to one side, feeling the stretch down the opposite side of your back.
• Repeat on the other side.

This is perfect as a daily reset after training or long hours at a desk.

2. Prayer stretch (on a bench or chair)

Targets the triceps and mid-back, helping to lengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint.

• Kneel in front of a bench or sofa.
• Rest your elbows on the surface and interlock your hands behind your head.
• Sink your chest towards the floor and breathe deeply.
• For an extra stretch, raise your hands overhead, thumbs pointing out, and pull them apart.

This one’s great for regaining overhead range of motion.

3. Shoulder flexion on the floor

Improves the actual ability to get your arms overhead without compensating through the lower back.

• Lie on your back with knees bent.
• Slowly raise your arms overhead, trying to get the back of your hands to the floor.
• Keep your elbows straight and your lower back flat.
• If it’s too hard, do it with thumbs pointing up instead.

This is a brilliant test of true shoulder mobility—try it, and you’ll quickly feel where your limits are.

Final thoughts: mobility before intensity

Mobility might not be as exciting as big lifts or long nets, but it’s one of the fastest ways to unlock better movement, more power, and fewer injuries. And the good news? You’ll feel the benefits in just a few days.

Want to move better and play pain-free this season? Get started with Cricfit and take control of your shoulder health today.

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